Electrical wiring is widely used in many industries for transmitting electrical signals and electrical power. For example, power feeder cables are used in the marine, automotive, and aerospace industries for transmitting electrical power from a power source to a load. In some industries, power feeder cables are pre-assembled by a supplier and then shipped to a production facility for installation in a vehicle. During pre-assembly, conventional terminal fittings are installed on the ends of the power feeder cable. Each terminal fitting has a tongue for electrically connecting to a terminal block during installation of the power feeder cable in the vehicle. One or more holes in the tongue are mounted onto corresponding studs of the terminal block, and a nut is threaded onto each stud to secure the tongue against an outer surface of the terminal block.
During pre-assembly of a cable, the terminal fittings are rigidly crimped onto the cable ends at a fixed clocking orientation. During installation of the cable into a vehicle, the clocking orientation of the terminal fitting may not match the orientation of the terminal block. More specifically, the clocking orientation of a terminal fitting may be such that the tongue does not lie flat (e.g., parallel) against the outer surface of the terminal block prior to installing a nut onto the terminal stud. Although the clocking orientation of a terminal fitting may be adjusted by a small amount, adjustment of the terminal fitting by more that few degrees may result in kinking of the power feeder cable which may generate mechanical stress on the terminal block, the terminal fitting, and/or the cable when the nut is fastened down onto the tongue. In addition, adjusting the clocking orientation of the terminal fitting may result in bending of the terminal fitting or tongue, or the development of small bend radii and/or kinks in the power feeder cable, requiring time-consuming and costly rework and/or replacement of the cable and/or terminal fitting.
As can be seen, there exists a need in the art for a terminal fitting that can be pre-assembled onto a cable end, and then installed on a terminal block in a manner such that the orientation of the tongue matches the orientation of the terminal block.